Current Turnaround times for USCG License Renewals

Thanks for the clarification. The linked report defines NPT as “…the total time the Coast Guard spends processing the application and does not include time spent waiting for information from mariners.” If it also doesn’t include time spent “pending assignment,” then NPT is a useless data point to report. Worth noting that “overall processing time” barely exceeded 60 days only twice in the 23 month period Feb 2016 - Dec 2017. That doesn’t seem to represent the majority of experiences shared here.

Only twice. That is a flat out lie. I suspect all the NMC reported data is a fraud designed to make them look. NMC is a fiasco that cannot be fixed. Close it down.

No shit. Buddy of mine had an application sitting at NMC for over 3 months waiting for a professional assesor to evaluate his application. Then it took 1 or 2 days to evaluate. So the metric they use to measure success means his app was completed in 1-2 weeks!

From what I understand NMC “privatized” the RECs. They turned over the duties of the RECs to labor contractors with USCG oversight thereby letting NMC be run like a business. Businesses must make a profit unlike the RECs which had career employees. This idea is sold as a way to save the taxpayer money and improve efficiency. I do not know how much money was saved because no one will say, I’ve asked. I do know the efficiency is questionable.
There are quite a few things the government does well if given the proper funding. The REC system was one.

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Medical certificate. Emailed to Martinsburg Rec on feb 16 went thru medical screening in feb 22 and mailed out the same day. This included them being closed for Presidents’ Day. Real quick.

Thought I’d give an update since I just renewed…
Submitted paperwork to REC Houston for my MMC Master Of Towing Inland renewal 12/18/19, was forwarded to NMC same day.
12/26/19 medical card issued and mailed
12/30/19 MMC issued and mailed
Pretty darn sporty if you ask me. Now if only my twic renews as fast, I’ll be done for another 5 years. By the way, did not need radar refresher course as I have worked on vessels equipped with them for at least…think it was 2 years.

I just moved states and need to renew my med cert, I should be able to go to any now care / urgent care to get this done you think ?

As long as they will fill out a 719k, I believe so.

Employers tend to like it if you use one of the large national employment doc in a box chains like Concentra.

I renew my medical card and drug test every winter using one of the large national chains. Most of my employers do not even bother to send me for a physical or drug test.

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For the Coast Guard, the physical can be done by any medical doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner licensed in the U.S. See 46 CFR 10.302(b).

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This is an old thread but could not help but rant because I (really my son) am powerless to do anything. For me it is sitting on the sideline. For my son it is missing 2 opportunities to return to work for ships doing sea trails. It has to do with issuance of his medical certificate. Here is the current timeline:

Emailed: June 8, 2021
Accepted: June 21, 2021
Ready to be Evaluated by Medical: July 8, 2021

He has called the NMC number several times to try and find out what is going on. First he was told to allow 32 days (from July 8th), then it was 42 days, and then 47days. As of today (8/20/21) he was told 50 days from July 8th and to allow 1 to 2 days for the evaluation…

The only comment on the 719K form was that he had sunburn (from being out in the sun). God help anyone who actually has a medical condition that needs to be looked into.

Just a rant… :face_with_symbols_over_mouth:

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Sounds like it got to the bottom of a pile somewhere. Mine was just approved 21 days after I emailed it off. The emails saying it was assigned to an evaluator and approved were time stamped less than 5 minutes apart.

It’s a big mistake to mention minor transitory conditions like sunburn.

I know a guy that watches too much TV. He saw too many ads for some drug for “restless leg syndrome.” He convinced himself that he had it. He wrote down restless leg syndrome on his renewal. It took six more months and thousands of dollars to get his renewal. It’s a good thing that he is a senior manager driving a desk in the office, otherwise he would have been out of a job.

Do not tell the USCG about your self diagnosed ailments. Only tell them about ailments that are diagnosed and documented by a licensed medical professional.

How long into the process did it take to get to an evaluator? Sent mine in about a week ago and don’t even have confirmation they received it

It was assigned to an evaluator, approved, and mailed all on the same day. It took almost a week to receive confirmation that the NMC received it.

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The comment was written by the doctor doing the physical not my son. I agree for such a transitory condition I would not think it worth mentioning.

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A couple of times when some smartass doctor, or more likely a PA, has insisted on writing down some trivial condition that I thought might cause delay, I’ve just gone to the next doc-in-a-box down the street to get a clean physical.

My son let me know he received word from the folks at the NMC this morning that his Medical Certificate had been approved for issuance. Later in the day he was informed that it had been mailed and should be received within 10 days. In reality it should only take a few days. Either it finally made it to the top of someone’s pile or they responded to his request last Friday that it be expedited…or maybe both. He currently works on a government contract ship with a 4 month on, 4 month off rotation. His 4 months off ends the first week of September…

From the time the 719K form was emailed to notification that it was approved for issuance was 78 days. I personally have no doubt it was the comment about him being sunburned that caused his application to be forwarded for assignment to a medical evaluator for further review. If not for that it was a clean physical.

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Can anyone shed some light?
The Endorsement has been sent up for FURTHER REVIEW by the evaluator.
This is what I was told. The call center said 3 days for further review but when I spoke to my evaluator, it was something like “not sure but it might take 7 days or a month or even longer”.

Is that an accurate assumption?

Renewal delays have gotten so bad that some mariners, and a few companies, have decided to just sail on expired documents that are pending renewal.

The USCG through its own neglect and failure to perform licensing and endorsements in a timely manner to support the needs of the industry, is forcing the industry to go rogue. The USCG has pissed away it’s credibility.